With a Degree in Maura Isles
by JoBethMegAmy. my homegirls
Summary: After Hope and Cailin's dismissal of Maura and Maura's resignation to just take it, Jane pulls a stunt similar to the time she confronted Constance- only a bit angrier.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Okay, so this may be ooc and/or uncalled for, and I won't lie- most of Jane's dialogue here is basically everything I wanted to yell at Hope and Cailin at the end of last night's episode. By the way, thanks to those of you who helped me solve the Cailin-spelling-mystery...I think? Subtitles, TV guide recaps- they all seem to be saying different things. So weird as it feels, I'll stick to "Cailin."

* * *

It had been three days since Dr. Hope Martin learned her and Paddy Doyle's daughter was still alive. She had ignored countless phone calls from that daughter, barely even paying attention when Cailin even tried reaching out and trying to get her to open up. Hope still wasn't sure she could believe it at all—how could Maura still be alive? But what would Dr. Isles possibly be hoping to gain by making it all up?

Around 9:00, there was a loud knock at the door. Typically when the doorbell went off or the phone rang, Cailin would just sit in her room and ignore it, but as Hope had barely acknowledged the outside world in nearly seventy-two hours, the girl took it upon herself to see who was so urgently knocking at this hour. For a moment she worried it might be Maura, but was surprised to open the door and see the woman she had presumed was Maura's significant other.

"Hey kid, don't mind me, I'll just be a second," Jane said, waltzing in without being invited.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but it's kind of late," Cailin said harshly, slamming the door and blocking Jane from walking any further.

"Don't call me 'ma'am,' kid."

"Well don't call me 'kid,' then!"

"I will when you stop acting like one!" Jane barked, pointing an accusatory finger at Cailin. "You were in London, huh? Right? At Oxford? Aren't British people supposed to be polite? Did they teach you _nothing?_ If you want to be treated like more than a kid, you need to start acting like an adult! Jumping down Maura's throat the way you did when she's done _nothing_ to—"

The raised voices had brought Hope out of her bedroom, and in angry shock at Jane's attitude, she swiftly walked up and protectively stepped in front of Cailin. "Detective Rizzoli! What exactly do you think you're doing, barging in here and—"

"What exactly do I think I'm doing? I'm trying to drill a little common sense and decency into you and your daughter!"

"Detective, are you _drunk?_"

Jane laughed airily, only confirming Hope's theory. She had in fact been out drinking with Frost and Frankie, but she was far from intoxicated. However, she _had_ drunk enough to disintegrate her already-fragile filter even more than usual, and the fact that Maura was still too depressed about her family situation to go out for a drink had only built on Jane's growing rage towards Hope and Cailin.

In her best aggressive cop voice and stance, Jane said, "You two are going to listen to me, and you are not going to interrupt. Understand? I have a heartbroken best friend who has gone through at least fifty boxes of tissues in the last three days, and it's solely because of the way she was treated by her flesh and blood. It took some badgering on my part, but I know exactly what went down between you and all, and I am not happy about it."

"Oh, right, 'cause _we _look so thrilled," Cailin grumbled.

"I thought I said not to interrupt me, kid. That wasn't a request." Jane's expression softened slightly when Cailin stiffly folded her arms and bowed her head, looking not so much sullen as hurt. "I know you're scared right now, Cailin. And I know you're upset. I know you're sick. Are you _really _so proud that you won't take a kidney from your sister? Because that's who Maura is. She's your sister. She can save you. And I don't feel sorry for you because of that. I know Maura can't force you to take her kidney, but you're a damn fool if you don't take her up on it. She was trying to spare your feelings by doing it anonymously, and—hey, while I'm at it, where do you get off accusing her of keeping her identity a secret all this time?"

"How long has she known?" Hope asked in a cracked whisper. "Has Maura… I mean, did she grow up knowing she… was adopted?"

"Of course she knew she was adopted," Jane said in a voice that was probably more snippy than was called for. "But she didn't know until about _two weeks ago _that you were her birth mother, Hope. Dr. Martin. That's when she was finally able to put all the fragments together and find out who you were, because she's spent her whole life trying to find you." Rounding on Cailin again, Jane said, "Don't you dare pin anything on Maura. You think you had it hard, trying to live in the shadow of a dead baby?"

Hope gasped softly and turned to look at Cailin, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart, I never wanted you to—"

"I could never be good enough!" Cailin blurted out. "How could I measure up to a child you never even knew? Who could've been perfect? Hell, she _is _perfect—"

"You're damn right she's perfect!" Jane almost shouted. "Especially considering all the crap she's had to go through her whole life! Cailin, you feel like you never got roots anywhere? That your mother just dragged you along wherever she damn well pleased? Well at least she _took you_. At least she wanted to be with you, to have you around, to be your mother. Maura? She spent a lifetime facing benign neglect. Boarding school at age ten. Hardly ever any visits from her adoptive parents then or since. Your mother has worked hard to _support you_. To give you what you need and what you deserve."

This is where when of the Martins might have stepped in to say Jane didn't know anything about them, but Cailin had been sufficiently cowed by Jane's intimidation skills and Hope could not refute Jane's gut assumptions.

The detective continued: "Now I wasn't an angel growing up, Cailin. Hell, my Ma and I still have our problems. I've been on death's door, okay? I know how it feels. It's scary as hell. But I always just focused on trying to be the best person I could be. You had no right to speak to Maura the way you did. And you," she said softly, turning narrowed eyes on Hope. "I wish you had a fraction of an idea how much Maura has been suffering because of you."

"Please, detective," Hope sniffed, tears falling silently out of her eyes. "If you've come here to try and make us feel worse, you've—"

"I've come here to make a point," Jane cut in. "I've come here to make sure you know Maura Isles really _is _your daughter, to vouch that she's not some crackpot who thought it'd be fun to claim that! And also to make sure both of you have a crystal clear image of who exactly Maura Isles is and why she does the things she does. I made her call you up, _Dr. Martin_. That wasn't some BS story," she added, shooting a dark glare at Cailin. "If we stood a chance in hell of solving that case, we needed your professional assistance, Hope. And you know what? Maura was terrified she wouldn't live up to you."

Hope put a hand to her forehead, reeling with all the recollections of that afternoon—what she had divulged, what she had done. "Oh, God…"

"Yeah, is it coming back to you? Remember how Maura started _crying _when you hugged her?" Jane asked. "That wasn't because we made a break in the case. It's because I don't think she's ever had a mother's hug in her entire life. And obviously I don't mean just from you, but even from Constance—her adoptive mother. She's not really the hugging type. So to have you do that? Maura almost broke down! And after you left, she did! She didn't want to burden you, Hope, she didn't want to be a reminder of the big-ass mistake you made in getting close to _Paddy Doyle_. But you know what? I'm glad you did it. If you hadn't, I never would have met the person who means more to me than anyone else in the entire world. And I will put a bullet in my mouth before I just sit quiet and let the two of you turn that person's world into some sort of hell."

"Detective…"

"Oh don't stop me now, I'm getting my second wind!" Jane scoffed. "I don't know how or when she would have told you, if ever, but your kid came and spilled the beans! All Maura has wanted to do since she found out who you were is help you! Both of you! She wants to do whatever it takes for you to be safe and happy, and if that meant never knowing her true identity, then so be it! I know I may not have a lot of nice things in my life, Hope—I might not drive a fancy car, or make millions of dollars, or travel the globe or study at Oxford—but my life is richer than yours for knowing Maura and _exactly_ who she is to me."

Speaking in a slightly more authoritative tone, Hope said, "Detective, we need time to adjust. This is… surely you must understand what a shock this has been."

"Of course I do. But you shouldn't be processing it alone. You shouldn't be shutting Maura out. It was a shock to her to find out that her father was Paddy Doyle. She's struggled with it ever since—this fear that she's wicked, that she's got evil somehow inherent in her blood." Shaking her head in disbelief, Jane said, "She was afraid to tell you who she was, because she thought you'd associate her with that evil. Maura is the least wicked person I know. She is sweet. She is kind. She is charitable and uplifting, and a million other things any woman should be _proud _to know her daughter is. Maura is all those things in spite of her less-than-happy childhood, and her distant parents. I mean she's finally sort of reconciled with Constance—"

"I know," Hope said so quietly that Jane didn't hear her.

"—but now she's sick at the thought of you shutting her out. She wants to be there for you. For _both_ of you. Look at her and see the best qualities in yourself. I know you already love her, Hope. Don't let the fact that you're related change that. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Maura didn't send me here to tell you all this."

"I didn't think she would," Hope whispered.

"And I don't give a rat's ass what you think about me. I've been told people call me a bitch behind my back, and I don't freaking care in this case if you do. You can call me that to my face, if you want to. I just had to get this out or I was gonna kill something."

And then, without another word, Jane turned on her heel and left.

Hope and Cailin stood staring at the door for several silent moments, both of them still on edge. Finally, Cailin said, "Uh…did… did you ever eat dinner, mom?"

"No. Did you?"

"No. Kinda hungry, though."

With a scoff, Hope muttered, "You didn't gorge yourself on the humble pie Detective Rizzoli just dropped off?"

Cailin tried to smile, but it came off as a grimace. "It was a pretty serious first course, but I think I could handle some more. Wanna try takeout from that Chinese place the neighbors suggested?"

"Sure. Go find the menu, and order what you want. I'll be right back," Hope said, heading towards her office.

"Do Chinese people eat kidney?"

"What?"

"It—I dunno, is it something they eat? Never mind," Cailin said quickly, waving her hand. "I just, er…" She sighed heavily. "If Maura still wants to give me her kidney …I'll take it."

Hope walked back to Cailin and drew her into a tight hug. Cailin was never easily moved to tears, so the fact that she was crying now really said a lot. They stood embracing by the kitchen for nearly a full minute before Cailin finally pulled away and offered to order the takeout.

While that phone call was going on, Hope returned to her office and pulled up an email she had received that morning and reread six times since. It was from Constance Isles:

_Dr. Martin—_

_I am torn between trying to be polite and saying I hope you don't mind that I emailed you using the address I found on your group's website and saying that I don't give a damn either way. Last night I received a phone call from Maura telling me that not only had she met you, but she had told you her true identity—news you apparently did not take kindly. I can understand why—that must have been beyond shocking for you, as much as it was for her. There is too much I should like to say to you than what I can put in the body of an email. This is the kind of conversation that needs to be had on the phone, at least, so we may converse more freely. You should be as proud to have Maura for your daughter as I am. Don't make the mistake I did of taking her for granted._

Beneath her name and phone number, Constance left a post-script:

_P.S. In case you have not already been verbally assaulted by one Detective Jane Rizzoli, I will warn you now to prepare for that tornado. Maura does not have a husband, or to my knowledge, even a boyfriend. Jane is the most important person in her life, and vice versa—if Jane believes you are treating Maura in any way that is even slightly intolerable, she will not hesitate to let you know. She's brash and straightforward, yes. She'll probably cross a line or two, and maybe even erase them completely. But if you listen to her as I did, I can guarantee you won't be sorry._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: I'm glad you were all able to vent with me about how terribly that Hope/Cailin/Maura thing was dealt with. I know Hope will be back eventually, but until then, here's my two cents. This was a bit difficult to write because I honestly have to say that I really don't know how Hope (or anyone) would respond to what happened. All I know for sure is that I hate how Jane wasn't there and didn't hug her best friend after all of it and okay I need to stop now or I'll never stop.

* * *

_Hey Maura,_

_Sorry I was such a jackass the other night. I really, really suck. I don't know how to put it more eloquently than that. If I'd never met you but found out that Maura Isles had lived, I would have felt justified in hating her. But you turned out to be really nice. A lot nicer than I deserved. I feel like I've had a really sucky life a lot of the time, and this whole kidney thing isn't really helping at all. _

_Speaking of which, I hope you'd still be willing to consider giving me one of your kidneys. I didn't realize how awful I sounded until mom yelled at you, too, and I really saw your face for the first time that night. From what Jane said about you and from what I saw about you, you don't seem like a vindictive person at all. I feel really terrible for the things I said. I hope you understand I've just been really upset and freaked out lately, and it would probably be fair to say I've been lashing out at everyone a lot. When I found out your true identity, I really blew everything out of proportion. _

_Again, I'm really really sorry. I wanted to say this in person but I was too scared to come to you myself. I still need time to get over what I did, but I didn't want to wait to send you an apology. I hope you can forgive me._

_Your sister, Cailin._

Maura looked up from the email only when a knock sounded at her office door. Quickly brushing tears from her eyes, she shut her laptop and bid whoever it was to come in. Another small sob escaped her when Hope opened the door, looking excessively guilty, as if Maura had been crying in anticipation of her visit.

"Dr. Isles—Maura," she said. "Can I have a word?"

"Please," Maura said, standing up and gesturing to one of the chairs on the other side of her desk. Hope closed the door, and Maura followed to sit near her. "What can I do for you?"

Hope had thought she'd gotten all her tears out on the car ride over, but seeing Maura this upset brought them all welling up again. For years she had tried to forget the baby who had died; she had traveled the world to keep herself from spending a lifetime at her grave. Dr. Isles was the first Maura she had ever met, and the name stung, of course—and now Hope couldn't help but notice how much they looked alike. If she'd ever been given the slightest impression that Maura Doyle had gone on living, she may have suspected something. But how could she have even guessed?

Bypassing the forced formality of Maura's question, Hope began an emotional response: "I… thought maybe 'blindsided' would work, but I don't think it does."

Maura sniffed and furrowed her brow. "Sorry?"

Restlessly kneading her hands, Hope said, "I'm trying to think of a word to describe how I felt—how I feel now… and I can't. You were right, Maura, Paddy Doyle _did _tell me you had…" A sob garbled her words, and Maura handed her a tissue Hope never wound up using, because she knew she was just going to keep crying and there would be no point in trying to stop the flow of tears now. "I thought …I mean, _why _would he have lied to me?"

"He said it was the only way to ensure that I lived," Maura said with a shuddering breath, trying to keep her heart rate normal. "If his father found out he'd had a child with you, both of us would have been in trouble."

"So he… put you up for adoption."

"He gave me to Constance Isles. And it never… it never made sense to me, growing up," Maura said, now almost talking more to herself than to Hope. "My parents weren't particularly attentive to me. I didn't understand why they had adopted a child, only to neglect her most of the time. Oh, I didn't have a hard childhood—I was very privileged, I recognize that. But still, I thought given the trouble it often takes to adopt, I would've imagined they'd be a little more …invested. But I understand now. Constance wasn't _looking_ to adopt anyone. I just sort of fell into her lap, and she took me on."

"She loves you very much," Hope said through her tears. When Maura looked at her in confusion, Hope explained, "She sent me an email yesterday, and this morning we had a long chat."

Maura's eyebrows raised in alarm. "A chat? Did you call her?"

"Yes," Hope said, sitting a little straighter and taking a deep breath. "I did, as per her request. She tells me you're quite a remarkable woman, Maura. Of course I knew that already, but she was speaking to me mother-to-mother." She gulped in another breath, fighting to keep her eyes on Maura's teary ones. "I don't know what to say, Maura. I really don't. I'm… ashamed of the way I acted, but you must understand how _insane _this revelation all sounded to me."

"Yes, yes, I do," Maura sniffed with a small nod. "And it didn't—I wish I could have told you when we were all a little less emotional. Cailin took me entirely by surprise—"

"She feels awful about it."

"—I know, I just got an email from her. Hope, I…" Maura sighed heavily, trying to gear herself up to keep going. "I just… I'm sorry if it was selfish of me to tell you. Jane kept pushing me to say something, and I've wanted to know you ever since I found out I was adopted, but I never realized everything you went through because of me."

Hope arched her eyebrows. "Because of _you?_"

"Yes. You thought I was dead."

"Maura…Maura, that wasn't your fault. Any suffering I've gone through is because of Patrick and the lie he told me. Not you. Never you."

"Jane told me to tell you. Right off the bat she wanted me to tell you, but I was too scared." Maura laughed weakly at the childish intimation, but it was the truth: she _had _been scared. "I was afraid of how you would react. I didn't want to bring up bad memories, or upset you any more than Doyle did."

Shaking her head, Hope whispered, "I'm sorry, Maura, I still just can't wrap my head around this. While I do agree in wishing this information hadn't come out in the dramatic way that it did, I don't really think there would have been a particularly good or tactful circumstance for it. The point is, now it's out there. We both know." When Maura wearily nodded, Hope shook her head again and asked, "Oh, now, what're we going to do. My parents will just about die when I tell them."

"Your parents?" Maura asked, shooting her gaze from her lap back up to Hope's face. She was trembling with the realization: _I have biological grandparents_.

Discerning what Maura's tone was about, Hope smiled through her tears and said, "Yes. They're a bit up there years, and unfortunately my father isn't very mobile anymore, but they live in Rhode Island. They, um… they'll certainly appreciate having a granddaughter who's invested in something besides her iPhone!" They were both still trying very gamely to laugh, but the fact that they were both still crying made it a rueful sound. "You're my daughter," Hope whispered, more to herself than to Maura. "I have a daughter… who is…"

"Thirty-six years old," they said in unison.

"That is going to take some getting used to," Hope said with a small shiver.

"I'm not asking for anything," Maura said quickly. "As I told you before—I have a mother and father already. I don't _expect _anything from you."

"Your mother and father aren't even in the country," Hope said softly.

"That's true, but I have Angela here."

"Your mother-in-law?" Hope guessed.

"My…Jane's mother," Maura said, briefly puzzled, and Hope nodded. _Why would she have assumed that? She's been in my house; she knows I don't have a husband. Does she think Jane and I are…? _This train of thought led to something Cailin had let slip in her email. "Hold on. Did Jane come to speak to you?"

Watching Hope for a reaction, Maura ascertained that her inability to lie was an inherited trait from her mother. "Yes, she did," Hope said after much deliberation. "She may have been a bit… brash, but her heart was in the right place. She showed me that mine needed to be, too. From what I have seen, Maura Isles, you're doing quite well for yourself. I know you don't need money. I know you don't 'expect' me to give you anything—for God's sake, _you're _the one giving something to _us_. Your kidney," she elaborated, when Maura frowned in confusion. "But in spite of that, Maura, I hope you will let us give something back to you."

"I already have all the organs I need," Maura blurted out.

Hope groaned a laugh and reached out her hand to touch Maura's arm. "That isn't what I meant, dear. I gather that there's still plenty you and I have to talk about—not just catching up, I mean. Other things. Jane said you didn't know my identity until very recently. Particularly given the apparent negligence of your adoptive parents, you probably thought I didn't want you. That I didn't want to find you." She moved her hand up to Maura's shoulder, keeping them both steady as their eyes locked. "Maura, I cannot put into words the grief that has plagued me since I thought I lost that baby. I don't think there's a day that's gone by that I haven't thought of her. Of you. This is so…" She gave a shuddering laugh. "Surreal."

"I'm real," Maura said meekly.

With a whispered "I know," Hope leaned over to pull Maura into a tight embrace. They both needed a few moments to cry it out together, to allow time for their thoughts to cohere while they still rode out this emotional rollercoaster.

"I hate that I missed so much," Hope eventually got out.

Maura rubbed her back. "It isn't your fault."

"I hate that I yelled at you."

"You needed time to process, to compartmentalize."

Hope finally pulled back slightly, just enough to look Maura in the eye. "You're being very kind," she said with a quivering smile. "And I know you said you aren't looking to be my daughter, Maura. But I'm—I'm looking very much to be your mother."

* * *

Hope's visit ended only when a lab tech later interrupted with some case files for Maura, who had completely forgotten that she was actually at work. Realizing that her daughter was needed, Hope got up to go and asked Maura if she would come over for dinner that night. Maura quickly agreed, and when Hope told her to feel free to invite Jane as well, she promised to ask the detective about it.

About twenty minutes later, Jane got a text from Maura: _Come to my office – we need to talk about something. _Naively assuming it was about the case, Jane headed on down. When she got to Maura's office, she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the medical examiner's expression.

"So…what's up?" she asked warily, kicking the door shut behind her.

Maura stood up and walked over to Jane, staring her resolutely in the eye. After knowing Jane for so long, she had figured the best way to determine whether Jane was being honest, facetious, or deceitful, was to watch her eyes. Crossing her arms, Maura got straight to the point: "Have you spoken to Hope and Cailin recently?"

Taken off guard by Maura's stance and the abrupt unexpectedness of the inquiry, Jane was startled into an honest reply: "Uh, yes?"

"Yes? You have to ask me?"

"Yes, I went to speak to them," Jane huffed.

"How did you even find out where they live?"

"One of the perks of being a detective, Maura."

"What exactly did you say to them?"

Jane hooked her thumbs in her pockets and now took her time to survey Maura. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "How'd you know I'd been?"

Maura pursed her lips together but couldn't keep in the truth. "I had an email from Cailin this morning, apologizing for her behavior." Jane's eyebrows rose, and then her face split into a grin when Maura continued, "She's asked if I'd still be willing to give her my kidney."

"Maura, that's awesome!" Jane cried, clapping a hand to Maura's shoulder. "An email and a request for something she previously shot down? In teenage speak, that's about as close as you can get to a formal apology and flowers. Did you get anything from Hope?"

"Yes. A visit."

Given Maura's flat tone, Jane's expression smoothly transitioned from joy to tentative concern. "What'd she say?"

"She… we talked for quite a while, actually. And she apologized, also. The way she found out about my identity was a bit dramatic for either of our liking, but we agreed that the important thing is we both know, now."

"So…so that's good, right?" Jane asked hopefully, squeezing Maura's shoulder. Maura finally smiled, and Jane grinned nervously. "So you're not mad at me?"

"I feel like I should at least be embarrassed," Maura admitted. "I'm afraid to imagine what you might have said."

"What? Come on! I was cool as a cucumber. I just reminded them both of what an amazing human being you are, and that they were both idiots if they didn't jump at the chance to acknowledge that you were a blood relative."

"Did you raise your voice?"

"…yes."

"Did you swear at them?"

"Maybe."

"Please just tell me you drew the line at physical violence," Maura sighed.

Jane frowned. "Uh…well, I actually drop-kicked Cailin into their swimming pool. She's still in the hospital. That's probably why she emailed you and didn't come in person."

Maura's mouth dropped for a moment, until Jane grinned to let her know it was a joke. With a hiss, she gave Jane's shoulder a playful slap. "I swear, Jane, I don't know what to do with you. Except to say that you should have let me fight my own fight."

"Yeah, well, you weren't," Jane mumbled.

"I tried to," Maura protested, not angry but still a little annoyed. "I tried calling her, and she never picked up."

"Sometimes you have to get tough," Jane reasoned. "And Maura, you're a lot of things, but tough ain't one of 'em. You needed police back up on this one." When all she got for a reply was an exasperated but affectionate smile, Jane sobered up and unconsciously reached for one of Maura's hands. "I'd never seen you that upset," she murmured. "And I didn't know what to do. I'd done everything I could for you—I stayed up with you, I slept over, I let you cry on me and ramble to me. But that wasn't enough, not for either of us. Y'know I had to go through a pretty rigorous sensitivity training to get where I am, Maura. I know the protocol for trying to comfort the friends and families of our victims. I can handle it, I can distance myself. But when it's you?" She shook her head slightly, noting Maura's softened gaze. "I get torn up. I _hate_… seeing you upset. And I hate when I feel like I haven't done anything and everything I can to make things better for you."

"You went to a bit of an extreme, wouldn't you say?" Maura asked quietly, threading the fingers of her other hand through Jane's.

Jane took a small step forward. "I may have, yeah," she conceded in a low voice. "I just… wanted to see you happy."

When they kissed, neither was entirely sure which of them had initiated it. It just seemed to be a simultaneous action: Maura reached up for Jane's cheek as Jane leaned down, their lips meeting in a kiss. Jane felt that beautifully familiar sensation of butterflies surging in her stomach, the stirrings of which she had only recently felt when Maura would look at or touch her a certain way. Maura realized all this was taking her emotional rollercoaster on an entirely different track, but she didn't care: this time, she wasn't afraid of the drop.

"Anything," Jane whispered when they broke apart. "I'd do anything for you, Maura, I really would."

Maura bit back another sob, giving Jane a quick kiss before throwing her arms around her for a tight hug. "Jane, I love you," she whimpered, and it was a relief to get the words out.

Jane's heart soared and she clutched Maura even closer. "You're everything to me, Maura. I hope you know that."

"I know it by heart," Maura choked out, not even really knowing what that was supposed to mean. She kissed Jane's cheek, then her lips again. "You know me better than anyone."

Jane tightened her jaw for a moment, letting her hands rest on Maura's waist as she pulled back. "Be mine?" she asked quietly.

Maura smiled at how endearingly adolescent the question sounded, especially when coupled with the look Jane was giving her. "I think Hope already believes I am." She chuckled when Jane raised an eyebrow. "She seemed to believe Angela was my mother-in-law."

"Did you correct her on that?" Jane asked.

"Well…I'm not sure if I did," Maura realized. "Not concretely enough, at least. I mean, your behavior on my behalf probably furthered her belief. And oh, that reminds me. She wants us to come over for dinner tonight."

With a crooked smile, Jane asked, "Oh she does, huh? And if she asks definitively whether we're a couple or not, what will you say?"

Maura repositioned her arms so that her hands could clasp behind Jane's neck. "I'll tell her…I was a weird kid, Jane. Even when I got to college, I still felt a little behind. Too weird, too awkward to be allowed, and only tolerated in my sorority by a few people. Hope said she thinks very highly of me. I think she has you to thank for a lot of that, Jane. You've made me so comfortable with who I am, and whether or not you've done it purposely, you have encouraged so many of the facets of my personality that I used to try and hide or I used to be embarrassed of. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for you."

Jane was nearly trembling at the mere emotion in Maura's voice and her eyes, and didn't feel ready for a proper reply. "Likewise," she whispered, and Maura's smile showed that she understood Jane needed a moment to compose her own thoughts. Until then—"That didn't really answer the question, though."

"Yes," Maura said, rolling her eyes and feigning annoyance. "I will tell her yes, we are a couple. Because you said it yourself, Jane. We're—"

"Quite a pair."

* * *

**A/N**: That's a wrap! Thanks for reading, guys :)


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